Dolphins’ Christian Wilkins believes he’s ‘done enough’ to get new deal as he stars in camp
It’s a stream of consciousness that Christian Wilkins himself can’t even explain.
The Dolphins’ defense lineman will get into his stance across from Miami’s offensive line and at the sight of the snap, bust his way into the backfield, resulting in a tackle for loss or sack.
The banter that then ensues can be directed at anyone. The linemen he just beat. An onlooking wide receiver. Even an assistant coach.
“I don’t know. I’m a sick twisted individual,” he said Saturday with a smile when asked to recall the specifics of his trash-talk.
Said offensive lineman Robert Jones: “He talks a lot, but he’s earned that right.”
As he enters his fifth season, Wilkins has earned a lot.
The respect of his teammates and coaches. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on Friday called Wilkins “one of the top players in the league.”
The attention of his peers. Wilkins made his debut on the NFL’s player-voted “Top 100” list, slotting at No. 81.
And in the eyes of Wilkins, he’s earned something else: a contract extension.
It’s been a lucrative offseason for defensive tackles. Since March, six players at Wilkins’ position have signed deals averaging $20 million a season. The Dolphins have had extension talks with Wilkins’ representation in recent months, but a long-term deal hasn’t been finalized. He’s set to play the final year of his rookie deal on the fifth-year option worth about $10.7 million, a relative bargain for a player of his caliber.
“The biggest thing with that, all that stuff, I just try to focus as much on ball as possible,” Wilkins said, “and leave all that other stuff up to the organization and my representation and just control what I can control with my guys and with this team. I definitely feel like I’ve done enough and done a lot to earn a new deal and a new contract. But again, I’m just focusing on ball and improving every day and just giving my all to this organization and hopefully they’ll give their all back to me.”
Wilkins, 27, is one of the longest-tenured Dolphins and has not only emerged as one of the best players at his position but a front-facing member of the organization. Before the start of the 2022 season, teammates voted Wilkins — who is also the Dolphins’ representative for the NFL Players Association — a captain for the first time in his career. He went on to set career-high marks for tackles (98) while playing a career-high 84 percent of defensive snaps because of injuries.
The high workload didn’t impact the productivity of a player the team relies on daily for not only his play but energy. The start of training camp has been no different. He’s been a standout in practice as a constant disruptive force. During Saturday’s practice at Hard Rock Stadium, Wilkins wore the orange practice jersey designated for the best practice player the previous day.
“Christian is, since I’ve been here, he’s been one way,” Dolphins coach Mike Mike McDaniel said. “I truly believe in that way, he embodies what I expect for our team, each individual to be, on a day-to-day basis for you to have success. So how do you categorize that? That’s an important part of the team. I promise you this: If Christian Wilkins came out to practice and was like, ‘Ehh,’ we’d have problems. So as teammates, you end up depending on each other for certain things that you know you can count on. Energy, strain, relentlessness, these are all things that if you’re trying to be a good team, you want to embody.”
Wilkins said the responsibility he faces as a leader is one he embraces.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to this game,” Wilkins said, “and I kind of like it that way because I just feel like who is it going to be if it’s not me? And my teammates are counting on that, and that’s what this organization is counting on. So I try to just bring the energy every day, set the tone, kind of just be that spark, be that light for the guys in this building.”
Already one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in the league, the next step for Wilkins is marrying it with a consistent pass rush. He’s had quality pressure numbers in his career but his most sacks in a season is 4.5. Many of his defensive line counterparts who have recently received large extensions have done so right after producing career-best sack numbers, as an interior pass rush has become a precious commodity in the NFL.
If the first two weeks of training camp are any indication, those figures are set to rise, too.
“Stats will come, all that will come,” he said. “But the biggest thing is — I don’t know — I don’t make goals or specific stats or anything I want. I just kind of have general goals that if I lock in on those general goals every day, it’ll lead to everything I want personally, for this team and for this organization, I feel. So not something too specific, but more just general goals that I know if I’m reaching those and being the best in those areas, then everything hopefully that I want will come.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2023 at 4:23 PM.
